Know When to Go to the ER in Arizona
The emergency room, or ER, is a hospital service where you can seek help for serious injuries or illnesses that cannot be managed or treated at home, in a doctor’s office, or at an urgent care facility.
At Dignity Health, our skilled doctors provide complete diagnosis, treatment, and whole-person care when you need to go to the ER in Arizona. Our Phoenix area hospitals are located in Ahwatukee, Phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, Laveen, Goodyear, Surprise, Mesa, and Glendale.
Use our online InQuicker™ tool. It can reduce your waiting time in the ER.
Reasons to Go to the ER
Examples of conditions that should be treated in the ER include:
- Broken bones
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Suspected or actual poisoning
- Injuries that could result in death or disability, such as brain or spinal cord injury
Call 9-1-1 if you have any of the following signs and symptoms of emergency conditions, particularly if the onset is sudden:
- Signs of an allergic reaction, including swelling of the lips and tongue
- Seizures
- Sudden weakness on one side of your body
- Sudden inability to speak or difficulty speaking
- Chest pain
- Difficulty breathing or being short of breath
- Injury to your back or neck with changes in feeling (sensation) or inability to move your arms or legs
- Pain or swelling in the arms or legs after a fall or other type of accident involving impact
How Dignity Health ER Helps
At our ER locations in Arizona, our emergency medicine doctors and a coordinated team of specialists are available at all hours to see patients and advise on how to manage specific situations, including the need for emergency surgery. Our doctors have the equipment and medications needed to treat serious and life-threatening injuries or illness. We also have access to advanced testing, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
What to Expect at Dignity Health ER
When you arrive at a Dignity Health ER, your first encounter will likely be with a triage nurse, who will assess the urgency of your condition. The nurse will take your information and ask questions about your symptoms. Be as specific as possible. If the nurse asks you to wait, let the nurse know if your symptoms get worse.
Your ER doctor and nurses will assess you again in more detail in order to determine what you need. You may have:
- X-rays and other imaging tests
- Urine tests
- Blood tests
Depending upon your condition, your ER doctor may consult with other specialists in the hospital or by phone. Following your ER assessment, tests, and treatment, your health care team may send you home with prescriptions and instructions for care. You may need a follow-up appointment or further treatment. Alternatively, your doctor may admit you to the hospital for observation or treatment, including emergency surgery.
Dignity Health provides high-quality emergency services, including diagnosis and treatment, in Arizona.
